Blizzard Entertainment is putting Diablo: Immortal into a closed alpha starting today, and the new testing will let players try out the Crusader class and the mobile action-RPG’s player-vs.-player features. It will be available in Australia (and to select members of the press, such as little ol’ me) for iOS and Android.
Diablo: Immortal is a free-to-play mobile take on Blizzard’s action-RPG franchise. It is also the studio’s first mobile-only game. When Blizzard first showed Immortal off during BlizzCon 2018, it angered many fans because Immortal is a mobile game, especially since many fans were instead hoping to see Diablo IV announced for PC and consoles. That tension cooled off a bit after Blizzard revealed Diablo IV during BlizzCon 2019.
Immortal had a technical alpha that started in December. This closed alpha is adding the Crusader as a playable class along with Barbarian, Demon Hunter, Monk, and Wizard, which were playable in the technical alpha. We know that one other class, Necromancer, will be playable in the final game.
The closed alpha has a level cap at 55, which is just short of the level 60 cap that the full game will have. The test will let players try several new features, such as the game’s PvP system. The game’s strongest players will be in the Immortals faction, but others can become Shadows and try to become the new Immortals by beating them. Players can also fight in the Battleground, which pits two teams of eight against each other.
Blizzard is also opening up access to two new zones: the snowy Frozen Tundra and Mount Zavain (which is, you know, a mountain). Players can also fight through the Caverns of Echoes dungeon. There is also a new Helliquary feature, which has players hunting down powerful bosses.
This alpha will give Blizzard a chance to see how players react to the Crusader class and some of the late-game systems. Immortal does not have a release date, and we should expect a beta test that is open to a larger pool of players before a final release.